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My key takeaway from the lecture was learning about Bloom's taxonomy and how it guides me to structure lessons that can move students from lower-order to higher-order thinking using the 6 different levels. Learning to plan an instructional plan through backward design makes me realise that for effective lessons to take place, there must be intentional and purposeful planning involved. I appreciated that the taxonomy is not strict, that we can start at different levels depending on the context and the child's skill level. It is also important to ensure that students master the foundational levels before moving to the higher levels. In addition, it is also good for teachers to revise the foundational levels periodically to ensure consistency in mastery.

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Having gone through this lecture, it has given a name to what I have been doing in my stint. I recalled using different verbs to do specific things, as they can vary! Bloom's Taxonomy, which describes levels of thinking to guide teaching, learning, and assessment. It also helps teachers design learning objectives that move students from basic knowledge to higher-order thinking skills.

Additionally, a lesson plan should have a purpose. A speech therapist who came from my school stint shared a piece of advice with my SENOs that I thought to be insightful. She shared that whatever we do in the lesson, in the lesson plan, must revolve around the purpose, and it should be a simple purpose. We must not lose sight of it, especially when we may go off track during our explanations and conversations with the student. Always having the end goal of the lesson plan at the back of your head is a good way to ensure that you stay on track and complete your objective. We must plan, so we don't fail.

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Today’s lecture is a recap on how to design student-centred lessons. What I find different is that the lessons are tailored to meet individual student’s unique needs, readiness level and learning profile. Therefore it is important to know the students whom we are supporting.

As we will be supporting students with special needs, there are more considerations to be mindful of when we design instructional activities, lesson delivery as well as assessment within the limited time we have with our students.

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Key takeaways from the lecture:

What resonated with me the most from the lecture was that when planning our intervention sessions for our students we should use backward planning (starting with the end in mind) and each stage of the planning process: identify desired results --> determining assessment --> planning instruction and materials should be in alignment. We should determine the goal/objective based on students' needs after gathering information.

The second part of the lecture on how to differentiate instruction gave me more insights into which aspects we can focus on e.g., content, process, product, environment. Differentiation should always be centered on students' needs, that is their readiness level and also consider their interests and learning profiles for engagement. The idea that we can also differentiate based on an 'Equalizer' highlighted more specific aspects to take note of e.g., making content more concrete, simple, focusing on single facet. teaching in a more structured manner with more guided practice vs making content more abstract, complex, and open ended and learners are more independent in task completion.

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My takeaway from the lecture is that effective lesson planning must always be intentional and purposeful. The reminder that “failing to plan is planning to fail” emphasizes the importance of starting with the end in mind through backward design and alignment — setting clear goals, deciding how success will be measured, and then planning activities to achieve those outcomes.

I also learned how Bloom’s Taxonomy can guide the structuring of lessons to move students from lower-order to higher-order thinking, while differentiation and task analysis ensure that diverse learners can access the content meaningfully. For students with special needs, it is especially important to use multi-sensory approaches, keep tasks clear and concrete, provide specific praise, and repeat instructions in multiple formats.

I was also reminded that assessment is not only about grading, but also about supporting students through observation, interviews, and performance tasks.

All in all, the purpose of an instructional plan is to empower students and create opportunities for real learning to take place.

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The Backward Planning and Alignment reminds me of how of my mentor applied this method to find out the underlying skills deficiency of an undiagnosed students. Also, as every student is different, we can apply the theory of differentiated instruction to adjust to students’ readiness, interests, and learning profiles to foster engagement and deep understanding. According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, effective teaching responds proactively to each student’s unique needs in three main areas: Readiness, Interest, and Learning Profile, rather than employing a one-size-fits-all approach.

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Today’s online lecture was extremely informative and provided me with a lot to reflect on. What struck me most was the phrase, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It really resonates because it applies not just to teaching but also to everyday life, from something as simple as preparing for class by going to bed early, to ensuring we’re ready to engage in learning the next day.

The session covered how to plan an instructional programme through backwards design, and I realised how important it is to structure lessons with a clear purpose. Bloom’s Taxonomy provided me with a clear overview of how learning progresses. The idea that learners need to master the foundational levels before moving to the higher ones makes sense. Still, I also appreciated that the taxonomy doesn’t have to be used in a strict, lockstep way; you can start at different levels depending on the context. Ultimately, the goal is for students to create something new or form their own perspective.

Differentiation also stood out to me. Tailoring instructions to meet the individual needs of SEN students is precisely what we’ll do when supporting their needs. It’s about considering their readiness, learning profiles, and ensuring that outcomes inspire and empower them to learn more effectively.

Task analysis felt especially relevant for me, given my SPED background. Previously, I thought of it as simply breaking down a task, but now I see how detailed it really is. Whether it involves checking for prerequisite skills, sequencing steps, or even considering social awareness while completing the task, it reminded me that task analysis isn’t just for SPED; it applies to all areas of life, depending on how we break things down to help someone reach a goal.

Finally, the distinction between assessment of learning and assessment for learning stayed with me. Assessment of learning feels more like accountability, while assessment for learning is about growth and improvement, for both the student and the teacher. That links back to the idea of lifelong learning, where evidence guides us to see where the learner is, and how both they and we can move forward.

Overall, my biggest takeaway is that planning with intention, tailoring for individual needs, and reflecting through assessment are all interconnected. It’s not just about teaching content. It’s about empowering our students to grow as we learn with them. Thank you.

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I feel that using the Alignment and Backwards Design approach ensures that I am able to plan withdrawal sessions that are meaningful for students. There is a focus on what the students need to know rather than what I simply want to teach.

It also ensures that every part of the session is aligned – from the objectives/goals set, to the assessments and teaching activities – all of it connects back to each student’s needs and what we want them to achieve.

I would start by getting to know the student’s needs. Next, setting clear goals for the session makes it easier to know exactly what students should achieve by the end. This would give me and the student a clear target to work towards.

Then, thinking about assessments, such as asking questions during the lesson, helps determine what scaffolds are required for the student to reach the goal.

Finally, teaching activities are planned to align with the goals, ensuring every part of the session is purposeful. Choosing the right resources that will also support the student in achieving the objective and make the learning both accessible and meaningful.

This working backwards approach puts the student’s learning needs first, and the alignment throughout the whole lesson ensures that we are planning for their success in reaching the goal that was set for them.

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Bloom’s Taxonomy resonated most for this lecture. In fact, many instances during my tenure in NIE scaffold individuals like myself into developing critical thinking and higher-order cognitive abilities during learning. The pace from levels 1 through 5 is rapid. Level 1, being knowledge/remembering, through Level 5, which is evaluating/synthesizing — this might induce a hefty cognitive overload for new learners. The scaffolding eventually fades and individuals gain independence towards self-learning. This then leads towards assessment.

The assessment approach for learning. The tutors then act as facilitators. The environment is informal and allows pre-correction.

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My takeaways from this lecture is realising how powerful careful planning can be in helping students succeed. I learned that backward design is more than just a framework; it guides teachers to start with clear objectives, decide on the evidence of learning, and then plan meaningful activities that support those goals. This ensures that lessons are not just a collection of activities but are purposeful and aligned. I also discovered that Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful tool to build students’ learning step by step, moving from basic recall to higher-order thinking skills. Another key realization for me was that differentiation is not only about strategies but about a mindset that values and responds to the diverse needs of students, especially those with special educational needs. Finally, I understood that assessments are not just for measuring performance, but also to guide, support, and improve learning. This session has helped me see that planning is not only about what I want to teach, but about how I can empower every student to learn effectively.

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Planning is best done backward. From the goal, we can identify easily what and how to work on achieveing this. Lesson plans can be planned clearly and more strategically.

Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework that shows how to work bottom up i.e lower order skills (remembering and understanding) to higher order thinking (analysing and creating).

Task analysis is the process of breaking down a skill into smaller steps. It is useful for any type of skills i.e academic or social skills.

Using multi sensory approach is best for student with SEN to make their learning journey more achievable.

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Today’s lesson highlights the importance of having a clear objective and how the different educational strategies such as Bloom’s taxonomy, the Backward Design and Alignment approach and Task Analysis can help to create effective lesson to support students with SEN. A lesson plan will not be effective without a well thought assessment plan to measure the student’s learning. It is important for SEN officer to monitor students’ progress and ensure that the strategies taught supports their learning.

I learn that Alignment and backward Design is an instruction strategy that emphasizes the importance of alignment. To achieve specific learning goals, all  the five components: the learning outcomes, assessments and teaching activities must  be interconnected and work together effectively. This has helped me to discover some helpful tips to improve on my  microteaching lesson plan. I will be mindful that my instructional activities and resources used must be aligned with my lesson objective.

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My key takeaways from this lesson highlight the importance of changing perceptions. Many students begin with the belief, “I can’t.” To help them move toward “I can,” we as SENOs must also shift our own views of their abilities. By focusing on their strengths, we open doors for growth and success.

This lesson also connects with the APIE. In the assessment stage, we gather information through interviews, observations, performance tasks, and self-assessments. The planning stage follows a backward design approach—starting with the desired learning outcomes, then developing lessons, strategies, and supports to help students achieve those goals. I had an “aha moment” here, as it reminded me of my mentor during my school stint. She always emphasized that in lesson planning, the first guiding question should be: What does the student need to learn?

Finally, this lesson reinforced that our role goes beyond teaching. It also involves shifting our mindset and adapting our approaches—using strategies such as differentiation and task analysis—to create inclusive, meaningful learning experiences that enable students to reach their full potential.

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The lecture made me think about my approach to lesson planning. It sets as a reminder to reflect on “What’s the purpose of teaching them all this?” when planning my lesson.

Backward planning requires us to identify the desired results first, what we want students to understand, achieve, or be able to do by the end of the lesson. This approach ensures that every activity, assessment, and teaching strategy aligns with those goals. This intentional planning will help to curate a lesson plan to meet our student needs, as it enables us to design accessible, supportive, and differentiated instruction that meets their needs.

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I felt it was good to be reminded of using Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide to structure my lessons as I am able to identify the level that my student is at, create objectives using the examples in each level and know what is the next level the student should move on to.

For differentiation, we need to take note of not to differentiate too many elements and just keep to 1 to 2 elements will do as it can be too complex for the student and myself.

For task analysis, it can be used as a strategy for explicit teaching, especially for our SEN learners as they may be at a level that requires teaching of each step of a process.

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Bloom’s Taxonomy structures learning from simple recall to higher-order thinking. I find it especially helpful for differentiation with SEN students, as it allows tasks to be scaffolded at different entry points — starting with lower-order skills (e.g., remembering, understanding) and building up toward higher-order thinking (e.g., analysing, creating) at a pace that matches their needs.

Additionally, for each level, there’s a set of verbs (e.g., list, describe, explain) that describe what students can do to demonstrate learning. These verbs make learning objectives specific, measurable, and observable, which can also help us in writing clear IEP goals and provide clear instructions in our sessions.

In all, I find that Bloom’s Taxonomy framework is a structured way for SENOs to support both teachers and students in planning, teaching, and assessing learning 😊

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Overall from the lesson, it was interesting to learn the different frameworks and strategies to plan lessons. I never realised that lesson planning required so many things. It’s not just about simply teaching what we want to teach but also creating a holistic and meaningful learning experience for our students.

Below are some things that stood out to me:

Backward Design - planning should start with the end goal in mind. With a clear goal written out, we can start working backwards to create a lesson plan with a clear focus, so we don’t stray away from our goal.

Bloom’s Taxonomy - an important framework, to help me expand beyond jusy teaching. We shouldn’t just focus on knowledge and recall but also look into getting them to apply and analyse in real life contexts. It’s important that they can think creatively and go beyond what they learn. This ensures that their learning is deeper and more meaningful.

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Backward design planning

1. Identify the desired outcome -

Knowing the desired learning outcome is key in order for us to provide enriching learning experience for students. At this stage we establish goals, how students can acquire and apply what they have learned

2. Determine the evidence -

This stage is the planning for assessments and evaluation of students performance. Assements like quizzes, tests and homework can be used to assess students understanding.

3. Plan learning instructions -

This is the stage where we start planning on our instructions. Activities such as explicit teaching, group discussion and problem solving sessions can be employed here.

There are 3 stages to planning lessons

Stage 1 - pre-instructional which comprises of lesson objectives, knowing students profiles and deciding on instructional strategies

Stage 2 - Delivery of lesson is when we can activate students prior knowledge and start arousing interests by telling real life stories or something relatable to them. Having clear instruction is also key in order for students to understand better. Include collaborative learning among the students.

Stage 3: Post Instructional Stage would be checking of students progress, performance and feedback through assessments and feedback sessions.

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Backward planning is an effective strategy that focuses on results before methods. It is particularly effective in outcome based education and personalised learning settings. Because it is goal oriented, it ensures that the instructions are aligned with clear learning objectives, this allows both the teacher and the student to be focused on what really matters.

Bloom's taxonomy is an effective tool that enhances lesson planning, teaching and assessment, it allows educators to promote deeper learning and empowers students with better thinking skills necessary for academic and real-world tasks. It helps educators design clear, measureable learning goals, as well as aligning the objectives with assessments and clear instructions. This allows a smooth transition and progression from basic to advanced understanding. By providing scaffolding, it allows teachers to educated students from foundational knowledge to more advanced learning.

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1. Start with the end in mind using Backward Design. The most effective way to plan is to first decide on your desired learning outcomes and how you will assess them, before you plan the actual lessons and activities. This ensures that your teaching is aligned with your goals.

2. Center your planning on diverse student needs. Your instructional plan must be structured to meet the needs of all students. This involves using strategies like Differentiation and Task Analysis. For students with special needs, this means using concrete, multi-sensory approaches, making activities short, giving immediate feedback, and offering specific praise.

3. Use varied assessments to understand and support learning. Assessment is not just a final test --> it's a tool to see if students have achieved the desired results. Use a variety of methods like observation, interviews, performance tasks, and self-assessment to gain a more accurate and effective understanding of a student's progress and needs.

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My key takeaways on planning an instructional programme is to having a good mindset of what the students "CAN" instead of what they "CANT". Always priortise students needs, which involves reviewing the Summary Report or the IEP to prioritise our focus.

Backward Planning and Alignment involves three main steps:-

1. start with student's needs

2. decide on desired results (goal and objective of the lesson)

3. Determine the evidence and assessment (How would students achieved the desired results)

Core instructional tools that are essential for structuring our lesson which involves "all the planning and thinking through"..

Bloom's Taxonomy:-

finding the child's learning ability and levelling our teaching according to student's levels of thinking and learning.

Differentiated Instructions (DI):-

- adjusting the learning content/ process, environment that meet student's readiness in learning, interests and learning profile.

Task Analysis:-

breaking down the learning structures with step-by-step teaching strategy, making the learning manageable

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Learning Point (Instructional Management):

Backward Design and Bloom’s Taxonomy are vital for Instructional Management.

• Backward Design builds foundation prior to the teaching.

It sets the tone of the lessons as the objective, and purpose has been decided and thus, we will be able to have better time management and ensure smooth flow of the lessons.

• Bloom’s Taxonomy helps us to classify the learning based on the different levels of ability. By doing so, we are able to ensure that the students are able to stay on pace with the lessons and gradually, able to move forward with more challenging task that require much more deeper thinking.

Based on these two frameworks, it supports instructional management by

• Showing a clear, precise of the lesson route for comfortable consumption of content

• Baseline on the relevance of tasks to the lessons

• Being a tool to categories and manage the different needs

• Aid for choosing of materials and planning of strategies

To conclude, both framework enables us to plan progressive learning and also be more in touch with the content that we put out so that it is able to cater to the students with different level of learning abilities.

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I understand about “Alignment and backward” design (working backwards in identifying the desired results), is an instructional strategy which includes learning objectives, assessment, instructional activities, resources and course technologies. We need to identify the student needs (the objective) then start planning. Put a lot of thought in planning the lesson plan process (lesson preparation) in terms of background profile, the strategies, resources and etc. Provide evidence base to monitor performance task from assessments, observation, feedbacks and etc. This is to check for understanding the skills learnt. From the progress, we can also plan how to fade away the supportive aids/adults to direct them to become independent. This framework helps me in scaffoldings my lesson plan. Differentiation in the leaning is essential because every child is different and learning can be variety of ways to get to the objectives. The bloom’s taxonomy is useful help gauge in the age-appropriateness in the goal setting.

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The lecture provides me with a clearer and more structured way to plan my lessons. The framework of Bloom's Taxonomy is particularly useful, as it helps me set specific learning objectives. This approach makes it easier for students to understand what they are aiming to achieve in each lesson.

During the lesson itself, it is essential to assess whether students require additional scaffolding to meet these objectives. This ongoing assessment gives me an overview of each student's progress, allowing me to identify areas where they may need extra support. By using this framework, I can ensure that my teaching is responsive and tailored to the needs of my students.

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i find Backward Design and Alignment quite useful in teaching student especially if you 'dont know where to start'. with working backwards, we know what we want the student to accomplished hence we can start from them.. but the key thing is really to align back to the learning objective.

Blooms's taxonomy is very useful in guiding students with the correct words

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1. For Bloom's taxonomy, I learnt that it is about moving from lower-order to higher-order thinking. For our sudents, this means I cannot jump straight to academic levels but must scaffold learning step by step according to their abilities.

2. For backward planning and alignment, it helps me keep the end goals in mind while preparing lessons to their readiness and progress.

So my main takeaway is: All students are different, so lessons have to be customised and tailored to their specific needs.

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My AHA moment is that when I realise that there is no one size fits all. Alignment of interventions needs to suit the needs of the child.

Personally, I find Blooms taxonomy interesting because even if there is understanding but the understanding can’t be applied to context of application, knowledge grasp would not be efficient. Hence the levels themselves are somewhat interdependent of each other.

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When i saw todays video, the lesson plan we can use it 105 APIE and NED 106, both are interlinked. In the Video there were 6 different parts Structure of planning Bloom taxonomy, Differentiation, Task analysis, Students with Special Needs and Assessment. Bloom Taxonomy is for me the key on how we can scaffolding the critical thinking and build higher order cognitive abilities in our students as SENOs. The framework and the different levels on Booms Taxonomy help me to have the lesson objectives which is the key principal on what we need to scoldfold and plan our lesson. This will help in our curriculum development. Like in the Video, Pro Liz say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. That is why we need to have a solid lesson plan to have structure for our students and learning outcomes. With learning outcomes, the student will gain attainment of knowledge from the start of the class and be competent at the end of the class.

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From this lecture, I particularly liked the first part where Dr Liz shared that our objective should be to change the perspective of the student and empower them. I think it is very important to remind ourselves of that and not overlook that our duty lies with helping the student be a better version of themselves rather than helping them so they can "fit in". It is one of those things we inherently know but still, we need reminders sometimes.

Backward Design and Alignment was interesting to learn. Sometimes, I think we forget about alignment and end up making a plan that doesn't serve the student well. Planning backwards is a good way to ensure that we always have the goal in mind to ensure alignment.

The video about understanding the different levels of English Language Learners and ways to support them was also nice to watch. I loved how the teacher shared the importance of working on confidence and oral language for the students in levels 1 and 2. I think this is also very relevant for Singapore context as our learners come from diverse home language backgrounds and differing levels of English.

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Backward design - planning isn't just about doing lesson templates and checking objectives but about a paradigm shift in the way we think about teaching. This involves seeing the lesson through student's perspectives, their needs, readiness level and also possible barriers to effective learning.

Instead of just covering content, the priority is then if the students actually learnt something. Tools like Bloom's taxonomy, TA, differentiation are then very important practical levers to ensure that the goals set at the start are achievable for all students independent of their needs.

Priorities on assessments also change - tools like observation, interviews, assessment tools etc are no longer methods to grade, but provide valuable feedback loops of whether planning actually worked. When a student cannot achieve the outcome, its not their limitations, but mine to rethink the lesson design.

The takeaway for me is that teaching becmes empowering when planning is intentional. Start with the end in mind, align every step to that outcome, and stay responsive and aware to how students learn. The mindset shift is important.

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Key Takeaways from the lecture -

1. Bloom’s Taxonomy:
It's important not to overlook the lower levels, as they support recall and form the foundation for mastering more complex, abstract thinking. Reinforcing the basics helps students progress effectively through the taxonomy.

2. Understanding Student Proficiency in English:
The four stages: newcomers, emerging, developing, and expanding helps provide a useful framework for identifying student needs. Strategies like using visuals, introducing basic grammar and vocabulary, and gradually incorporating peer activities (e.g., think-pair-share) and graphic organizers are effective for supporting learners at different levels.

3. Task Analysis:
Breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps helps tailor instruction to individual student needs. This approach is versatile and can be applied to academic, social, communication, and behavioral tasks.

4. Instructional Planning for SEN Students:
When designing lessons, it’s important to pair oral with written instructions, keep tasks concise, and use multisensory approaches. Providing specific praise further supports engagement and learning.

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The lecture taught some important factors on how we can support children for their learning needs and how we can plan them properly and effectively.

In Bloom’s Taxonomy, we learn to observe where the child is at and plan our lesson and activities accordingly. Using the backward design for planning, we can also plan on what we want child to achieve first before slowly putting up our lesson plan in proper and how we can scaffold their learning.

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My take on DI is important because it meets students’ diverse learning needs, promotes equity, and keeps them engaged. It helps struggling learners with support, challenges advanced learners, and builds confidence, ensuring every student has the chance to succeed.

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My aha moment was the part about assessment. I had the notion of assessments as a method for gathering data- for both teachers and the students. It's always been Assessment OF Learning for me.

Understanding that assessments can be used FOR learning and AS learning help me understand why primary schools are more sensitive about terming their assessments as "reviews" or something similarly less demanding than "examination" or "test".

In the past, examinations are viewed as the way for the school and your parents to see your progress. Now, students are envouraged to view assessments more as a learning opportunity than as a measure of what they have studied and achieved.

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1. Backward Alignment is a great strategy to adopt as it breaks down the planning process into stages. This ensures greater clarity of the skills we are aiming to impart in the students. It will be useful in the planning and progress monitoring (in the long run).

2. Lesson structure can be guided by the Bloom's Taxonomy, which helps us to understand the sequential level of knowledge acquisition. Awareness of the lower levels begets mastery of higher level engagement in materials. This serves as a good reminder to understand if the prior knowledge or prerequisites have been met, before we 'level up' one's understanding.

3. The Differentiation table was illuminating as it reiterated to me that learner needs can hinge on their readiness, interests and profiles. Optimizing these different aspects increases their absorption and learning outcomes.

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1. During my untrained stint, I was tasked with creating a few lesson plans, and my mentor taught me some strategies that were new to me. After learning about Bloom’s Taxonomy, I now understand what she meant when she explained the importance of using specific words in the objectives section of a lesson plan. The choice of words determines how the student is expected to show their understanding during the withdrawal session. She highlighted, for example, the difference between the words “say” and “demonstrate.” While “say” only requires the child to respond verbally, “demonstrate” requires the child to actually show the skills that were taught in the lesson. This was explained in the model, where the choice of verbs indicates the child’s level of readiness—whether the child is simply recalling information or is able to apply the strategies that were taught.

2) Differentiated instruction is a strategy that I often heard about during the school setting. Now i have a better understanding of what we need to consider when differentiating instructions for a student. It is important to first identify the student’s capabilities and current level of understanding before planning any differentiation. Differentiation is not limited to the content being taught, but it can also involve adjusting the process, the learning environment, and even the expected outcomes. This way, the lesson is better tailored to the child’s interests and made more meaningful for them.

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1. I learnt to structured my lesson to meet the needs of my student via Bloom's Taxonomy (revised):

- I can start at any level of the taxonomy

- Higher levels of thinking can help to reteach and reinforce the basic content

- not to neglect lower levels as each competent performance depends on a lower level

2. I learnt in depth about differentiation (more than what I have learnt in EI):

Especially on the four elements - Content / process / product / environment where teachers can differentiate these 4 elements based on the readiness level, learning profiles and interests of the students. However the most important steps in differentiation is the pre-assessment stage (gathering the information about the student).

AHA!

*Even if you can come up with the most beautiful lesson plan, if it is not based on the students' readiness level, learning profile or interest, the objectives won't be met.

*Lastly assessing the effectiveness of our lesson is important as we won't want to be wasting the student and SEN time by conducting the same type of lesson if it is not showing any progress. I will be worried and will evaluate where I have gone wrong (is it because I did not do a good job at pre-assessment stage?)

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My takeaway:

1. Knowing the objectives of a lesson helps to guide the activities and the way we execute lessons

2. Important to understand the different levels of Blooms taxonomy so that we can teach scaffold students at the level that they are at

3. How we can use assessment tools effectively (for vs of vs as) to meet our objectives

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My AHA moment might sound cliche but the hearing the quote "if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail" was a good and timely reminder for me. It also shows the mindset of how someone approaches the subject matter and essentially all the strategies explained are working towards the betterment of student's learning while considering each individual.

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1. Alignment and Backward design framework is a very good reminder in keeping my target and objectives in view as I plan the interventions. I can stay on track, and as keep my lesson/intervention consistent at every stage.

2. I will keep in mind that in Bloom's taxonomy, every stage is important and we should not neglect or hasten to a upper stage without checking that the child is established in the previous stage. Each stage is a foundation and a stepping stone to the next level. This helps me to check in on the child's progress and if necessary, remain in a certain stage for a longer time.

3. I like differentiated instructions & task analysis as it scaffolds and supports learning at the level that can reach out to a child more personally. And these also requires the teacher to make the effort to know the child better before she can plan D.I. Knowing the child better will yield so much more benefits not only in that particular lesson & can go on to build a stronger teacher - student relationships. It is good to know that I don't have to change too many aspects when planning differentiated instructions.

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1. Backward Planning and Alignment

This is my first time hearing this term. I understand it as starting lesson planning by thinking about what I want students to learn by the end of the lesson. It helps in choosing the right activities, resources and assessments too. I see how it can be a useful approach for ensuring a more purposeful and targetted planning.

2. Bloom’s taxonomy

I found this useful for setting learning objectives, especially for students with SEN. It can help ensure that goals are age-appropriate while also meeting the students’ needs.

3. Differentiation

Differentiation is very important to keep students with SEN engaged and motivated. I now understand that it’s okay to focus on just one aspect of differentiation (e.g., content or process) instead of targeting all four elements. This is something that I would also encourage teachers to use in their classrooms, especially if they have students with SEN.

4. Task Analysis

This reminded me of what we covered in Educational Psychology, breaking down a big task into smaller, “bite-sized” steps. I also see how adding visual supports can help students understand and complete each step. This is something that I would use as an SENO too.

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1.     The lecture was useful in shaping my approach to lesson planning. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a new framework that I learned to identify what the student can currently do and to plan learning objectives that move towards higher-order cognitive skills. Using action verbs to define lesson objectives ensures that they are clear and specific, which allows me to develop targeted lesson plans. It also helps students understand exactly what they are expected to learn and achieve in the task or lesson.

2.     When differentiating instructions for students, I can use the four elements (content, process, product, learning environment) as a guide to support students' learning needs. By differentiating these elements, it creates opportunities for students to engage with tasks at an appropriate level and gradually show greater independence in their learning. Focusing on differentiating a maximum of two elements at a time would allow me to target the students’ specific needs, observe the impact of each differentiation, and adjust my approach accordingly.

3.     Using backward planning to align learning objectives, activities, and assessments with desired outcomes. This ensures that activities planned have a clear link to the learning objective, keeping teaching meaningful and focused.

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This lecture reminded us that we are to EMPOWER and CHANGE their perception from ‘I cannot’ to ‘I can’! We are to assessing FOR learning and not OF learning.

I really liked the Bloom’s taxonomy level progression and descriptive verbs which I think will serve as a great guideline for us in planning our lesson objective.

Likewise, the pre-instructional stages also serves as a reminder that we need to KNOW our student’s profile (what pre-requisite they have, their strength, interests) so that we can better plan and deliver with better engagement (content, teaching aids, resources). We must also keep in mind that we are not there to give them so much assignments that it becomes cognitive overload, so set simple, meaningful assignments!

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The various Instructional Programmes put the students’ interest at heart and in the midst of it all, empower them and raise their confident level.

For Backward Planning and Design, is it essential to lay our end of Learning Objectives first , so we can work towards what students should know. Followed by Assessment of their abilities. Instructional activities are prepared for the students’ success. Resources used must be aligned to the instructional activities. We can tap on Technology to teach by showing students aligned/ relevant videos.

The General Structure of Instructional Approaches require Pre-Instructional Planning & Thinking, Delivery which focuses on lesson enactment/teaching areas. The last stage of Post-Instructional which involves Assessment & Feedback. These stages here will focus on bringing students to an improved level to their learning.

Differentiated Instructions stood out to me as I have always thought that it is a rather difficult way of teaching students using this method. However, after watching the video, I realise the important part is about sizing up the abilities of the students. From there, we work towards their individual needs and learning abilities and craft our instructions accordingly. Once we set the stage for Differentiated Learning, the rest of the process will fall in place nicely. Students will feel good about themselves since they are always given tasks pegged to their levels of abilities.

It is important to find the right Instructional Plan to fit the learning needs of the class.

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Alignment and backward strategy makes learning purposeful and trackable which is important when SENO are crafting lessons for their withdrawal sessions. Alignment ensures the connection between the learning components while backward design backtrack our learning if it is in the correct direction or need more clarity. Such strategy help focus on our learning objectives which is what the student should know and learn instead of what we want to teach!

Bloom’s Taxonomy: I like how SENO can tap on those descriptive verbs when assessing student’s needs and use that for IEP goal setting since they are measurable and concise. I believe if teachers use that for learning objectives, it is easier when SENO discuss with teachers on strategies and scaffolding students needs.

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1. Every lesson has to be designed with the student in mind. Activities, the mode of instruction, and the lesson objectives have to be tailored to the student's needs. Using backward design to set clear goals and creating student-centric experiences is crucial for us to be effective educators.

2. Steps of Task Analysis (breaking down a skill into smaller manageable steps): depending on the student's readiness and skill level, we should determine and adjust the number of steps needed to perform the task. We can do so by first performing the task/skill ourselves and writing down the steps involved, then test the student informally to determine what they can already perform. Implementing Differentiated Instruction (DI) in the classroom, or even during our withdrawal sessions, requires us to be flexible and attuned to the needs of our students.

3. Something of interest to me was understanding the levels of students for the English Language. In schools, students are often grouped into "High-Progress" (HP), "Middle-Progress" (MP) and "Low-Progress" (LP) students based on assessment of their work. However, the video shown during lecture reminds me that there's actually a lot in between that we might fail to consider. What about the confidence level of a child? Or their level of exposure to the language? A child could be grouped as a LP learner if they have a "silent phase" due to uncertainty and lack of confidence.

The video groups our EL learners into the newcomer, emerging, developing, expanding stages. Strategies to support students' learning are stage-specific. For example, for newcomers who may know little to no English (e.g., English is not the main language spoken at home), we have to use pictures to show them school routines, and work on important vocabulary, greetings, and basic grammar. This is a "survival toolkit" that will help them keep up with school. For emerging learners who are curious about the language, we should incorporate more listening and speaking activities. It is crucial to foster an environment where students know it's perfectly fine to make mistakes.

As a SEN officer, I am reminded that planning is of the utmost importance when I support a child. Sometimes, to make progress, I will have to take a few steps back and return to the "drawing board". This will increase the effectiveness of my interventions.

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this lecture talks about the planning stage for a lesson:

1) Assess student's current level of understanding > use of backward design

2) Structure lesson with Bloom's Taxonomy - critical thinking skills based on different levels

3) Prepare - ensure that it is appropriate at student's level & mindful to not overload the student in that 1 lesson

4) use of differentiation for student's who require - to scaffold whenever needed

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1. Learned how it’s crucial to plan not just the intervention, but also to plan the pre-instructional and post-instructional phase as well. Use the backward design template to help in planning

2. Bloom’s Taxonomy- to look at where the child is at and start intervention from there, instead of using it in a lockstep manner

3. Differentiation- there are many areas that we can differentiate, and there’s a tendency for us to want to do more. But to just focus on one component.

4. Learned that there’s a difference between assessment of learning and assessment for learning. To not just test to see how child’s performance is but also to test to find out how to improve child’s learning.

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In this lecture my most meaningful takeaway was that every lesson I hold should have the overarching aim of student empowerment. I found that very significant as it is really a mental shift compared to solely focussing on the lesson in itself be it literacy or social skills etc. In thinking about combining the idea of student empowerment together with lesson objectives, i found that Bloom’s taxonomy was a succinct classification system for educators to understand how everything comes together in terms of planning the lessons - tailoring the objectives to the student’s needs while pushing the student to engage all their senses in their learning while still within their respective capacities. The different levels were very helpful for me to contextualise my understanding and prior experience to reflect on how I could do better in future lesson planning.

I also enjoyed learning about differentiated instruction in much more depth and it was interesting to understand how even the observation and assessment parts are actually part of the differentiated instruction process. I find that linking all these pieces together is extremely helpful in understanding how my role as a seno can flow through in a day to day, though it might get hard to work so systematically if there is a hectic work day with multiple things going on at once, i can see that having these concepts in my schema is already helpful in me shaping my thought process and problem solving purposefully.

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* Key Take aways:

Backward Design Template and Planning:

1. Identify desired results: Identify student needs; Generalization of skills across context should be taken into consideration.

2. Determine acceptable evidence: Lesson plan , performance tasks, learning and activities

3. Learning Plan: Planning individual activities and instructional strategies.

* To draft lesson structured based on the needs of the students, can use strategies like Bloomy taxonomy, differentiated instruction and Task Analysis.

Blooms taxonomy:

-For the remembering level, verbs such as arrange, describe, order, and memorize are recommended for setting objectives.

- Evaluating includes verbs like critique and judge, while creating is associated with verbs such as generate, plan, and produce.

Differentiated instruction:

content,process,product and environment customized according to students interest,readiness level and learning profiles.

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Today’s lesson is great reinforcer to what I have learnt from my previous experiences. From a general standpoint, today’s session shows how important it is to create student-centred lessons from its initial stages.

Starting from the students’ profile, current abilities and what you want them to achieve, effective lesson planning works backwards instead of its vice. Working closely through the 3 stages when we plan, helps us target the learning better. (Cutting out the unnecessary)

Having Bloom’s Taxanomy as the foundation of how we deliver the lessons, tightens the flow and reinforces knowledge acquisition.

Through differentiated instructions, we are able to meet the learners needs while also accomplishing subject and assessment needs.

Finally, we “teach what we want to assess and assess what we want to teach”.

Teaching and learning is an endless loop. One cannot exist without the other.

(Personally, going through the Bloom’s Taxonomy again helps me reflect on my own learning of SAFMED; how it was challenging to remember some phrases because of where I am at cognitively.)

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This session reminded me of the sessions that I had planned under the guidance of my mentor SENO. What really stuck out to me was firstly, the interdependent information provided by Bloom's taxonomy and assessing the support required by our students.

While going through the content on Bloom's taxonomy, I was reminded of the struggle that I faced when creating the objectives of the lesson plan for some students as I lacked clarity in the organisation of levels of difficulty in the verbs used. As I reflect with my newfound knowledge, I realise that I had occasionally planned tasks that were not suitable for students as I had misassigned the level of verb to objectives, which often resulted in an underestimation of the difficulty of the task. The impact of knowing the different levels of verbs according to Bloom's taxonomy will help aid in my planning of difficulty of objectives of the lesson plan. I will ensure that the objectives that I plan in the future are appropriate for the student's level based on existing schema of the student's learning needs.

Also, knowing the Backward Design for Planning helps me greatly in structuring the steps to planning a much more personalised lesson plan for my future students with SEN. It was a relief to learn about this template as I remember, once again, about how lost I felt when I was first tasked to attempt at designing a lesson plan for my mentor's student. While I had gathered a sense of what to do when planning a lesson, this Backward Design for Planning provides a framework for me and scaffolds the thought process of lesson planning in a logical manner. Like what Stephen Covey mentioned, "Begin with the end in mind." The goal for our student is where we begin the planning.

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The first takeaway from this lecture is the backward planning and alignment design. It is a very useful tool for designing effective lessons. By first identifying the desired learning outcomes and then planning assessments and activities to support those outcomes, as a SENO, I can ensure that every step of the lesson is purposeful and connected. This approach will help me maintain clarity and focus, while also aligning my teaching strategies with the objectives. Ultimately, backward planning will enable me to structure lessons more coherently, anticipate potential challenges, and create meaningful learning experiences that are targeted towards student growth.

The second takeaway: I find that using Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a clear framework to structure learning objectives and activities. By moving from lower-level thinking skills, such as remembering and understanding, to higher-level skills like applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating, I can scaffold learning to support my students. This progression ensures that students first build a strong foundation of knowledge before engaging in deeper, more complex tasks. It also allows me to differentiate activities to meet diverse learning needs.

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Key takeaways

1. Backward Design Template for planning

What they already know and what will they be skilled at.

What evidence will show that the student have demonstrated achievement in the skills.

Use the template to guide my thoughts when planning a lesson for my students

2. Always start with the students needs and structure your lessons to meet their needs.

Blooms taxonomy- critical thinking skills based on different levels.

3. Lesson preparation > Lesson Enactment> Assessment & Feedback

A general structure that also helps to plan for your future lessons

Plan how you ask certain questions

Be careful to not overload your students

4. Differentiation- important for SENOs

Every plan is unique for each student to attain optimal learning

Emphasis on meaning making and higher level thinking

4 elements- don’t look into more than 2 elements as it may be overwhelming. Have a balance when proposing which element you want to target or make changes.

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Wise saying for this lecture: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

The design of a pupil-centric lesson must take into account of the objectives, assessment, instructional activities, your resources and technology. The lesson should be crafted based also on the child's profile, preferred learning style, interest and readiness level. When teaching a group of students, we need to know the previously mentioned points and provide differentiated instructions. E.g decide on providing pictures or highlighting important words to the student's level. Lastly my favourite is on using task analysis to put steps or sequence to the activity, making it simpler to pinpoint the stage a child may be stuck at and remedy from that point. Last part on assessment is a Reminder to us SENOs not to be confused about the uses of the 3 types assessment. Use the type correctly to help student to improve.

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Bloom's Taxonomy is a useful way to think about mastery of content and knowledge, and provides a framework of skills to assess where the students are at.

It was also interesting how assessment was woven into each step of the planning process: eg. assessing the student's needs, current ability, profile and interests, in order to plan differentiated instruction or task analyses to meet them where they are. Even during the lesson itself, I may need to continue to assess if the student understands and can cope, if they require additional scaffolding to meet the lesson goal, or if they can be challenged at another level of the hierarchy of mastery with some support (within their zone of proximal development). Reframing assessment (for learning) as a means to know where I am and identify the steps between here, and my end goal, is something I would want to show my students, so that progress looks like a series of practical and manageable steps rather than a wide gap.

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All these guidelines of instructional principles help me to better shape my lessons to their most effectiveness. Blooms Taxonomy can help me create clearer and measurable learning outcomes and understanding the hierarchy will guide my lesson design to be more progressive. By having backward planning to think of what the student needs to learn rather than what I need to teach is crucial to evaluate and assess if the student has met the learning objective of the lesson.  Differentiated instructions also guide me to how I can conduct assessment for learning which data can be used to check if my lesson has been going well for the student. Task analysis can also help me understand the needs of the students and how to scaffold learning effectively which relates back to my understanding of students’ zones of proximal development. (ZPD)

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From this lecture, it reinforced the idea on how there is no one-size-fit-all strategy and that we have to always adapt our lesson plans for the different individual students. I really like the idea of differentiated instruction and task analysis, as it is something that I do for myself too. When things/information becomes too much for me, I like to break things down into smaller steps so that it is easier for me to follow and I will be more motivated to follow as well since it is simpler. This strategy is exactly the same as task analysis and perhaps differentiated instruction as well. It made me think about how it does not only benefit students with special needs, but even adults like myself.

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I learnt that as SENOs we should be working towards empowering our students with the skills they need, and the best way to ensure this is by planning appropriately.

Backward planning and alignment

We should always start by determining the desired results we want from our students, and using that to gather evidence of our student's needs and plan our lessons accordingly.

Structuring lessons

1. Bloom's taxonomy is a good tool to help us plan lessons according to our student's needs. When we use the higher levels like evaluation and synthesis, it is important that our students are competent in the lower levels first --> once they have progressed to the higher levels/they are suitable to start the lesson plan at the higher level, we can use it to reinforce the basic skills too

2. It would be important for SENOs to work with subject teachers to differentiate, especially when it comes to content so that the skill is standardized across all teachers/lessons/withdrawal sessions for the student (do not work alone)

We should always continuously evaluate our student's progress so that we can tweak our lesson plans accordingly.

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1. The lecture reinforced for me the crucial role teachers play in fostering student belief and motivation. I see now that instructional planning isn’t just about content delivery; it’s about creating lessons that encourage students to see themselves as capable learners. The shift from “I can’t” to “I can” happens when lessons are thoughtfully designed to place students at the heart of the learning process. And when students feel empowered, they gain confidence and become more invested in their own progress, which can have a lasting impact on their learning journey.

2. The refresher on the six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy—Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analysing, Evaluating, and Creating—made me think about the importance of spiral progression in lesson design. I believe that for students to fully grasp and retain content, it is essential to revisit key concepts regularly, but with tasks of increasing complexity that push them toward higher-order thinking. This approach not only strengthens understanding but also promotes deeper cognitive engagement by encouraging students to apply their knowledge in varied and meaningful ways.

3. I see also the critical role that assessment and feedback play in checking for student understanding. Effective assessment doesn’t just measure learning; it provides actionable feedback that guides students’ progress and informs teaching strategies. This cycle of assessment and feedback ensures that students stay on track and receive the support they need to succeed. Equally important is the design of meaningful, engaging tasks. When tasks are thoughtfully crafted and are tailored to students’ interests, they motivate students to engage actively in the learning process, thereby supporting deeper learning and retention.

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in this lecture, i learnt about how we should start planning our lessons for out students following the general structure of instructional approaches. while it may be something i already know, going through the flow enabled me to think deeper and contextualise it to a SENO's role (rather than an educator). i also learnt about Bloom's Taxonomy and under points to note, the mention of how we need not use the taxonomy in a lockstep manner, but rather start at any level. it really depends on the child's needs and current level as well. i learnt the difference between assessment OF learning and assessment FOR learning, and how the latter focuses on helping the students themselves know what to do to improve, which i find really important.

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Using Backward Design and Alignment helps me to focus on the end goal first. It guides me to plan lessons that are aligned with the objectives and assessments thus making my teaching clearer and more purposeful.

When planning a lesson to support a child with needs, I will keep these three points in mind:

1. I will prioritise the child’s needs first.

2. I will design a customised scheme of work based on the lesson outcome to meet the child’s objectives.

3. I will create an assessment to check if the child has learned and use observations to see if there are improvements after the lesson.

As a SEN officer supporting a child with needs, I need to plan my sessions carefully so that I can provide meaningful support and help the child successfully meet the objectives. Thoughtful planning is not just about the lesson, but about giving every child the best chance to grow and progress.

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1) Backward Design and Alignment

Work backwards from the learning objective based on the student’s need and ensure that the assessment, instructional activities and resources are aligned and prepares the child for achieving the learning objectives

2) Bloom’s Taxonomy

The six levels of cognitive objectives beginning with more simple concrete objectives (remembering) to more abstract complex objectives (creating). We can refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide when writing our lesson objectives.

3) Assessments

Assessments of learning is about accountability, usually for examinations and tests while assessments for learning is about improving the student’s work. As SENOs, we should focus on assessment for learning to help the student know what to do to improve.

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The aha moment was viewing the task analysis. It brought me back to the time where I was teaching younger students how to play functionally. Although I used to TEACCH strategy, it was nice to put a name to the strategy and know that what I have learnt is also applicable in higher level of education.

I think that often, we forget to analyse the student's current level of performance. Instead, we assess them based on the average performance of the cohort of a level (e.g. we expect a child to know everything there is to know as a primary 3 child). Similar to differentiated instruction, teachers know that every child has different level of readiness and interests however, during the execution part, we tend to do what is most time efficient just to complete the lesson plan. Through the lecture notes and videos, it is a reminder to myself to stay vocal for these students that require differentiated instruction. Best scenario, is to revisit the Bloom's Taxonomy when I'm posted out and use it as a guideline when collaborating with the teachers. When we are able to find the gap that is preventing the child from learning, we are able to come together to lay the path down for the child to cross the gap.

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1. When designing a lesson, it is important to identify students' needs first and prioritise our focus on what we want them to learn. We can then use Bloom's Taxonomy to aid us in determining our lesson objectives.

2. Designing learning experiences based on students' ability and create an environment where students can practise without fear of making mistakes.

3. Differentiating Instruction involves modifying the Content, Process, Product, or Learning Environment based on students' readiness levels, interests, and learning profile.

4. Using multi sensory approach may be beneficial for students with SEN to help make their learning concrete.

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We begin lesson planning by considering the students needs, desired results (goal/objective) and the evidence/assessment.

By using backward design in planning, we can intentionally structure learning experiences and instruction to meet our students' needs. It is important to pitch learning at a level appropriate to the student, ensuring they feel capable and confident in their ability to learn. Assessments play a critical role by providing the evidence needed to determine whether students have achieved the intended learning objectives.

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In this lecture, I learnt the importance of a well thought lesson to ensure that the objectives of the lesson is met. All aspects of the lesson should also be aligned. When planning for a lesson, one should always consider and plan around the student’s needs such that is meaningful, manageable and pitched at their level. One could also consider different forms of assessment apart from it written. It can be done through quizzes or role play etc.

To meet the needs of the students, one has to understand their current level and ability. Are they at higher level skills (evaluate and construct ) or currently at the lower level (memorisation)?

It is also important to gather information regarding a child such that you can understand thats interests, learning profiles and their readiness level. This will allow us to align to their learning goals and ability and to differentiate lessons accordingly and make modifications to their content or learning environment.

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Bloom’s Taxonomy is a very helpful tool as it provides clear categories of learning levels, which aids in keeping educators structured in their teaching, and is especially useful for lesson planning as following the stages allows objectives to be framed in a clearer and more measurable way. The taxonomy also supports educators in checking for students’ understanding, beginning with simpler questions and gradually moving on to more complex ones. Overall, it serves as a valuable reference for understanding the levels at which students are currently at, so lessons can be better tailored to fit their needs.

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Planning for lessons is an integral part of the support that a SENO provides to students with additional learning needs - if this is not prepared for, there is no "goal" for the student. The backward planning and alignment is also an effective approach - to first determine what the student needs to learn (based on where he/she is, and what next he/she is able to learn), and plan the lessons towards that. It is also important to go through all the 3 stages (pre-instructional, delivery and post-instructional) to ensure that lessons are not just well planned for, but delivery and results are also evaluated systematically and regularly (i.e., the 3 assessment approaches - of learning, for learning & as learning), and changed to meet the needs of the child.

Bloom’s taxonomy highlights that higher-order thinking builds upon mastery of foundational skills. While the levels are hierarchical, working at higher levels can also strengthen understanding at the lower levels. Building on my students' current abilities while also stretching them to think more deeply, can benefit them greatly.

Planning is not just about preparing lessons, but about creating meaningful pathways for my students’ growth. As a SENO, I hope to approach planning in a way that is both purposeful and flexible, always centred on the evolving needs of my students.

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Task analysis is important when it comes to understanding how to approach teaching the student. When starting a plan, we must ensure that we have clear objectives on what the student should learn, and be able to break it down into simple steps so that they can clearly understand the steps. Additionally, it must be clearly defined. During the video, it was obvious that the student understood immediately what to do after they sat down, because they were able to follow and immediately understand. We must also ensure that the steps are written in a way that is at our student’s level. Finally, when we teach, we must teach in a sequential order.

Bloom’s taxonomy was also interesting to me, because it reminds me that a student’s IEP should be based on the level of the taxonomy which they are at. Additionally, when it comes to differentiation, the student’s work and expectations are linked to the taxonomy, as student’s learning objectives and work will be adapted based on what tasks they are able to successfully carry out in the taxonomy.

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As a SENO, I will have a high volume of student sessions, which can sometimes lead to less-structured lesson planning. The lecture reminds me how a well-thought-out structure when designing the lesson plan is essential for student success.

A practical approach to planning is using backward design and ensuring alignment. I can start by defining the session goals aka what I want the students to be able to do. This is then followed by identifying assessment methods based on the goals, designing the instructional activities to prepare the student for assessment. This is then followed by creating or finding resources for the students to do the instructional activities and then course technology. All the aspects need to align to ensure a successful learning experience.

To structure my lesson, I can also use the Bloom's taxonomy. This is the first time I am hearing about this model and I think that it is super helpful to defining clear lesson objective, and designing lesson plans based on it. A key insight is that I don't always have to start at level 1 but I can begin it at the student's current skill level or course level which makes it highly adapted can be adaptable for student's needs.

Another key takeaway is understanding the 4 elements of differentiation, 1) Content, 2) Process, 3) Product, 4) Learning environment. While differentiation is vital, the lecture cautioned against trying to differentiate in too many areas at once.This might end up being too tedious and confusing for us and for the students. It is important to find a balance between having an element differentiated and understanding the expectation of the students.

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Bloom's taxonomy helped me to understand the different levels of understanding a concept, and is useful for gauging which level a student is at with regards to a particular concept. This information can then be used in conjunction with task analysis to create a lesson plan that is tailored to the student's needs and current abilities.

The perspective that lesson plans are primarily meant to empower a student in his or her learning is important to keep in mind, as students may already be discouraged by the gap between them and their peers (e.g. "I am pulled out of class for extra lessons, so I must be stupid"). Establishing a learning environment where mistakes are acceptable and to be learned from would be something I want to place importance on in my withdrawal sessions with students.

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From the lecture, i learnt about backward design as an effective way to plan an instructional program for the students. Instead of putting our focus into what I ‘WANT’ to teach, i should focus on the beginning with the end in mind and at the same time what we want the students to ‘KNOW’. This approach helps us make sure that the lesson is aligned with the learning objectives and will make learning more effective.

Next, I learnt the importance of not neglecting the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy because it is the foundational building block for the higher-order thinking and it is alright to always revisit the lower levels to reinforce basic content.

Lastly for DI, learning that it is important to not target so many elements at one time so as to not stress the child out, but really tailoring the instructions to meet the individual needs of the students and to empower them to learn in a way that best suits them. I also think that giving specific praises is something that I would like to do when i go back to school as a SENO as i think that would really help boost the child's confidence.

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For Bloom’s taxonomy, the level helps to know what is the next step that we should take when teaching our students.

To teach the students effectively, we need to understand them well then differentiate the lesson accordingly.

During differentiation, try to limit to only 1 or 2 so that it will not be confusing for both students and teachers. Also, understanding the different level of our students requires different method and strategy of support. For example, when supporting students at the first level, to use more visuals and repetition. Followed by encouraging think-pair-share at the more intermediate levels.

Identifying what the learning objective is the first step. Afterwards, break down the task and work on the target skills. Followed by testing of the skills to determine what the student already knows, before scaffolding the new skills.

When teaching our students with SEN, will need to remember to provide oral instructions (other than written) and provide specific praises. Using multi-sensory approach and explicit teaching are great learning tools for them as well.

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The Bloom’s taxonomy provides clear differentiation of the six levels. It clarifies which terms used would represent the stages in Bloom’s. Bloom’s taxonomy can also be used to formulate the different levels of questioning based on the student’s needs.

Additionally, the video on “Understanding the different levels of ELL students” provided a clear definition of the five levels. It gives insight on how the student’s ability will be like at each level as well as useful strategies to work with the students at each level.

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Having an accurate task analysis is important to ensure effective lesson planning. At times, students may struggle broadly in a specific component of assessment or mode of assessment, and performing a task analysis to identify the pre-requisite skills and the gaps they have can help us to better identify learning objectives. Combining this with backward design and alignment ensures that we are tackling the need which the student has, and making more effectivd use of their time and energy to help them better access curriculum.

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Planning with the end goal in mind helps to better structure how the lessons will unfold. While doing that, it is also important to ensure that the lessons are behaviour specific in that it should consist of a verb that directs what the student should be able to achieve at the end of the day. Bloom’s Taxonomy helps to visualize where the student is at currently for the specific topic and work up the hierarchy together with the student.

Oral instructions and verbal cues (immediate feedback) are important so that the expectations can be conveyed immediately and with clarity. It is also less ambiguous as compared to solely relying on visual aids.

Format of each individual lesson is still encouraged to have explicit teachings and cooperative learning (I do, we do, you do) whereby informal testing of understanding can be done (assessment for learning). This can also be where differentiated approaches can be taken because the assessments can be done differently accordingly to the needs of the student and can be further tailored to the student’s interests (eg: word search, role play, etc.). As with meaningful assignments, assessments should not add to the stress of the student, but should be integrated seamlessly into the lessons.

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My takeaway from this session is the importance of intentional planning in withdrawal lessons to help students with SEN move from “I can’t” to “I can.”

Effective planning isn’t just about what we want to teach, but about starting with the end in mind, using backward design to set clear goals, decide how learning will be shown, and then planning experiences that meet students where they are.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful guide for setting objectives and activities across different levels of thinking, ensuring that both foundational and higher-order skills are supported. It is a reminder for us not to rush into higher-order questions but to value the foundational levels students need in order to grow.

Differentiated instruction is also key, but it works best when I focus on one aspect, content, process, product, or environment, so that learning remains manageable for both students and ourselves.

Task analysis is another valuable tool, as it breaks complex skills into step by step sequences tailored to individual needs.

In designing lessons, we want to keep activities short and concrete, use multi sensory approaches, give specific praise, and build learning through the “I do, We do, You do” model.

Finally, the different types of assessment plays a central role, not just in accountability, but also about using assessment to guide improvement and encouraging students to reflect on their own progress.

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Key takeaways: Practical tips on approaches and strategies I can take reference or put in place for lesson planning!

1. Alignment and backward design - Focus on what the student needs to learn, rather than what we want to teach. Work backwards from the learning objectives, then to most appropriate assessment methods, instructional activities, resources and technology. All 5 aspects need to be aligned to ensure student's learning success. This shows me the importance of having the need for a proper assessment of where the child's gaps are by interviewing teachers and/or parents or child; observe the child during structured/ unstructured lessons; data collection, seek out child's work samples etc.

2. Assessment FOR learning VS assessment OF learning - as SENOs, I see our role as more towards "...FOR learning". We plan lessons with aim to help them improve and know where and how to improve. I'm all for tracking their progress. I hope to achieve practice makes progress through my withdrawal sessions. As they progress, I hope to be facilitator for their assessment AS learning.

3. Differentiated instructions - planning for DI based on child's readiness, interests, learning profiles. Again, this shows me the importance for a proper assessment - the need to make purposeful observations to assess her readiness level/ learning style and to establish rapport with the student to know him/her as a person in terms of interests. Of course, need to be mindful of looking at DI in one of the elements (Contents, Process, Product or Learning environment).

4. Task analysis - breaking down a skill into smaller step. During sessions, I will model step-by-step (I do), role-play with students (repetition - We Do), get student to reproduce the steps (I do), not forgetting the motivation part (student's interests; positive reinforcement- tokens + reinforcers) [AHA moment - linking back to social cognitive theory]

5. Bloom's taxonomy - useful reference on instructional vocabulary I can use at each level. I will need to assess which level is the child at before planning. I believe for students with higher needs, it would be good to start mastery at lower (simple concrete) level first.

6. I would like to take heed the recommendations for our SEN students. Some of which I think I can work on more: learning with concrete materials, multisensory approach and repeat instructions (written and verbal).

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It is important to have a clear lesson objective when working with a student. By setting a objective, it sets the direction of activities I should work with for my student and reduces likelihood of mismatched activities. Having a clear objective also sets direction for assessment to track the student’s response to intervention. This allows clarity when reporting to our HODs or CMT as the objectives I have set out to achieve are targeted. Without planning a lesson objective, I would be planning to fail as lesson activities would be directionless and I may end up wasting time, not teaching any skills to the student.

As every student is different, knowing how to individualise objectives and lessons is vital. By creating a goal that is just right, not too challenging or easy, I would be setting the student up for success. Only by experiencing success would the student continue learning and I can slowly increase my demands and expectations.

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To ensure that students can learn effectively, teachers can use backward planning and alignment by first identifying the desired results, then determining acceptable evidence, and finally planning learning experiences and instruction. This backward design process includes clarifying learning objectives, planning assessments, designing instructional activities, selecting resources, and incorporating appropriate course technologies. Lesson planning should begin with students’ needs, such as Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or support requirements, followed by setting goals or objectives, and then identifying evidence and assessments that demonstrate achievement of the desired results. The lesson planning process involves three stages: pre-instructional preparation, delivery of the lesson, and post-instructional assessment and feedback.

Bloom’s taxonomy provides six levels of cognitive learning—recall, understanding, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation—and it is important not to neglect the lower levels, as higher levels build upon them. While the taxonomy does not need to be followed in strict order, it helps structure both reinforcement of basic knowledge and development of higher-order thinking.

For Special Educational Needs (SEN) students, differentiated instruction (DI) must be applied daily to tailor teaching to their unique learning needs, focusing on four elements: content, process, product, and learning environment. One effective strategy is task analysis, which breaks down a skill into smaller, sequential steps, making it easier for students to learn step by step. This involves stating the objective, breaking the task into logical steps, testing what students can already do, and then teaching each step systematically. Finally, assessment methods such as interviews, observations, performance tasks, and self-assessments allow teachers to support students more accurately and effectively.

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Importance of our role as SENO to empower our students with SEN to positively reframe their belief that that "I can't (learn)" to "I can (learn)". The use of Backward Design and Alignment could facilitate what students need to learn, rather than what we need to teach. Consists of 5 aspects which should align with learning objective - 1) Learning objectives, 2) Assessment, 3) Instructional Assessment, 4) Resources, 5) Technology.

Bloom's Taxonomy provides a framework which could allow me to tailor my objectives based on the level that is the student is assessed to be at, to scaffold their learning and 'challenge' them to improve.

Differentiation can be in terms of content, process, product, environment based on readiness levels, interest, learning profiles. Maximum to have 2 aspects of differentiation as it could be tedious for SENO and require balance for students as well.

Understanding the difference between Assessment for and Assessment of Learning allows me to gain clarity on it could impact the students where they may have lower sense of self when they feel judged or anxious in the latter. Incorporating assessment for learning could allow us to tailor our teaching strategy to needs / profile of the student, and increase motivation of the students to learn when they have improved self-confidence in their learning ability.

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Through this lesson, I have gained a profound understanding of how to plan and deliver lessons that truly meet the diverse needs of students. Reflecting on my past practice as a preschool educator, I realised that while there were pieces and nuggets of information I had intuitively applied, such as observing children’s interests or adapting tasks on the spot, I often designed activities first, hoping that learning would naturally occur. It was a huge gamble that may have worked sometimes, but this approach could lead to fragmented learning experiences, where students’ engagement and understanding were not consistently aligned with clear learning outcomes.

The concept of backward design has reshaped my perspective. By starting with the end in mind, I now prioritise identifying what I want my students to achieve, how I will measure their success, and only then plan instructional activities that directly support those goals. This ensures that every task, activity, and discussion has a purpose and contributes meaningfully to the intended learning outcomes. While my preschool experience gave me foundational skills in observation and adaptation, this lesson has helped me connect those experiences to a more deliberate, structured, and evidence-based approach. I now want to be intentional in every step of planning and execution, ensuring alignment between objectives, assessments, and activities.

In practice, this means that in my future role as a SENO, I will begin every lesson by closely analysing students’ IEPs, summary reports, and other background information to identify their specific needs, strengths, and areas for growth. I will craft clear, measurable objectives tailored to each student and design assessments that accurately capture their progress. For example, if a student struggles with reading comprehension, I can pre-plan scaffolding activities such as guided reading sessions or visual supports, knowing exactly what mastery will look like before the lesson begins. This intentional approach not only promotes student success but also ensures that my teaching is purposeful, focused, and evidence-based.

Equally transformative has been my understanding of differentiation. I have learned that differentiation is not about simply making learning easier. It is about making it accessible and meaningful for every student. By adapting lessons to individual readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles, I can ensure that all students engage with the content in ways that resonate with them. Strategies such as breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps, checking in frequently, repeating instructions in multiple formats, providing specific praise, and using multi-sensory approaches allow students to experience success and build confidence. Models like 'I Do, We Do, You Do' provide structured support while gradually fostering independence.

As a future SENO, I plan to integrate these differentiation strategies into my daily practice. For instance, when supporting a student with attention difficulties, I can provide clear visual and verbal instructions, incorporate movement breaks, and use cooperative learning tasks to sustain engagement. For students with language barriers, I can adapt materials to their proficiency levels and provide additional scaffolds, ensuring they are included and able to participate meaningfully. By consistently reflecting on each student’s response to these strategies, I can continuously refine my approach, creating a dynamic learning environment that responds to the evolving needs of the students.

Combining backward design with thoughtful differentiation has profoundly shifted my mindset as an educator. I no longer focus solely on “covering content” but instead ask, “How can I help each student access this content effectively?” While my preschool experience provided valuable instincts and practical skills, this lesson has made me much clearer about the need for deliberate planning and execution. This integrated approach encourages me to be intentional, structured, and goal-oriented while also remaining flexible and creative. I now view students’ diverse needs as opportunities for innovation rather than obstacles, which is central to my future role as a SENO. By applying these principles, I am committed to creating inclusive, supportive, and engaging learning experiences where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

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Bloom's taxonomy is important to help categorize the different levels of a student's learning. Having this clear levels can help both educators and students better learn new concepts and achieve the learning objectives.

Having differentiated learning can also help to allow the class to learn together but at different pace. Having to first identify the student's needs is important to allow for a better plan to allow for all students to progress and learn together. Having a differentiated instruction allows for the teachers to continue providing scaffolding for the student in need and allow other students to carry on with the tasks at hand.

Having to plan is also important, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This will also affect your student's ability to learn. With the use of backward planning. It helps us to identify the desired results and work backwards to plan for something to better support the child.

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Viewing this lesson, I think it also has to do with NED 105, where we used APIE, and NED 106 when we built our lesson plan. I am slowly picking up and having a helicopter view of a few courses that work together rather than individually. It makes more sense now. Today's video, I recalled during my stint performing some of them, and some done by my SENO. Some steps are happening very fast in the background without us knowing it. This lesson just stated them into proper wordings and categories. Although to me, most of them used very big words, but actually it is quite straight forward when we are used to doing the actual field work. Today's lesson is definitely useful and it helps to provide structure and guidance where I can refer to when I am lost.